Unclaimed Federal Tax Refunds for Tax Year 2017

April 6, 2021

State-by-State breakout of possibly forfeited refund money

The Internal Revenue Service is once again holding a vast amount of money — this year it’s an estimated $1.3 billion — that was never sent to around 1.3 million individual taxpayers.

Tax refund 1040 IRS check

The reason? Those folks didn’t file tax year 2017 returns back in 2018 to claim their refunds. They have until the 2021 filing deadline, which in this (again) coronavirus-affected tax season is May 17.

As this blog post explains, miss that due date to claim your three-year-old refund and Uncle Sam gets to keep your money.

The table below details just how much unclaimed money is due taxpayers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

State or District

Estimated

Number of

Individuals

Median

Potential

Refund

Total

Potential

Refunds*

Alabama

21,700

$848

$21,542,300

Alaska

5,000

$960

$5,527,400

Arizona

32,900

$766

$30,655,500

Arkansas

12,600

$811

$12,150,900

California

132,800

$833

$129,793,500

Colorado

27,000

$813

$26,020,400

Connecticut

13,200

$928

$13,945,100

Delaware

5,200

$853

$5,254,600

District of Columbia

3,600

$878

$3,765,500

Florida

89,600

$870

$89,767,400

Georgia

46,300

$791

$44,234,300

Hawaii

7,600

$913

$7,827,400

Idaho

6,200

$727

$5,572,300

Illinois

49,000

$901

$50,355,300

Indiana

30,800

$894

$31,291,100

Iowa

13.500

$922

$13,851,800

Kansas

13,400

$865

$13,313,500

Kentucky

17,700

$875

$17,612,600

Louisiana

21,700

$837

$21,659,900

Maine

5,300

$853

$5,158,000

Maryland

26,700

$872

$27,241,700

Massachusetts

28,000

$978

$30,469,100

Michigan

43,100

$863

$43,189,3000

Minnesota

20,400

$808

$19,400,200

Mississippi

11,800

$776

$11,087,800

Missouri

30,500

$831

$29,778,200

Montana

4,400

$808

$4,255,500

Nebraska

7,200

$853

$6,982,000

Nevada

15,500

$845

$15,310,600

New Hampshire

5,900

$968

$6,391,000

New Jersey

34,200

$924

$35,778,700

New Mexico

9,000

$837

$8,913,100

New York

66,700

$956

$71,361,600

North Carolina

43,500

$837

$42,307,200

North Dakota

3,600

$958

$3,779,100

Ohio

48,700

$852

$47,892,500

Oklahoma

19,800

$869

$19,890,300

Oregon

21,200

$765

$19,733,900

Pennsylvania

50,900

$931

$52,861,200

Rhode Island

3,600

$921

$3,792,500

South Carolina

16,800

$768

$15,740,900

South Dakota

3,600

$768

$3,665,500

Tennessee

27,100

$851

$26,534,100

Texas

133,000

$904

$138,355,200

Utah

11,100

$771

$10,251,900

Vermont

2,600

$852

$2,505,200

Virginia

36,600

$827

$36,159,900

Washington

36,900

$928

$38,924,900

West Virginia

6,400

$946

$6,769,600

Wisconsin

18,900

$798

$17,759,900

Wyoming

3,100

$944

$3,273,400

Totals

1,345,900

$865

$1,349,654,800

 

 

 

*excluding credits

If you think some of this unclaimed tax cash is yours, be sure to file your 2017 return by May 17.

And it bears repeating: Miss this deadline and you forever forfeit that year’s unclaimed refund.

Posted: Tuesday, April 7, 2021

 

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